The Artist and the Assistant
by MiyumiCupid
Summary: Ash is a famous artist that get sucked up into a mystery, his client's famous paintings are stolen. Being apart of the suspect pool, he and Dawn, the assistant of a famous art gallery owner must now travel to Kalos together to find the paintings. Only to find out that they are in grave danger.
1. Chapter 1

**New story just like I promised! I have nothing else to say but welcome to my first story of 2015! This story will be an AU of the book "Tokyo Heist" by Diana Renn. **

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**Dawn's POV**

The wind, the rain, my soaked heels; I blamed it all on the taxi driver. It's his fault that I waited in front of the apartment complex for over an hour before hopping on the taxi to Hearthome's Downtown Square. "Great, I'm late for the most important day of my job ." I muttered running downtown through muddy puddles

Most of the art galleries are already closed for the day, but the Cassandra Gallery glows with a cool light. I quickly ducked under the awning. Looking through the gallery window, and scanned the crowd. Well-dressed men and women gather around paintings, eating off tiny plates, but I didn't see Cassandra anywhere. A classical band plays in a corner. Cassandra will yell at me if I go in. My black suit was drenched and my heels were muddy. "Great first impression for the guests, Dawn." I muttered, feeling angry at myself for not carrying an umbrella.

I took out a now damped tissue and wiped some mud off of my heels and then carefully twisted my wet, frizzy, sapphire blue hair into a bun and secured it with a clip. I then quickly straighten my jacket and skirt and stepped into the museum.

People surrounded one of the guests, a famous painter from Kanto. A photographer snaps pictures of him. He was standing near one of his famous oil paintings of a field with a lone willow tree, it's bark a collage of marbled browns, it's leaves dark green and waxy with it's trunk swaying to the left. Some photographers left, and I then was finally able to get a good look at the man himself, he was wearing a crisp suit and tie. He had tan skin and wild dark ebony hair.

_Breathe. _Maybe if I explained to Cassandra why I was late, I wouldn't get in trouble. My heels clicked on the floor as I squeezed through the crowd. But before I can reach the painter a tall woman strides toward me, blocking my path. Her purple hair is tied into a tight bun and she was wearing a grey pantsuit and black heels.

"Hello, Cassandra." I smiled politely, hoping that she wouldn't scold me for being late. "Hello, Dawn." Cassandra greeted. "May I ask why you are late?"

"Sorry, Cassandra. My taxi got stuck in traffic." I answered, hanging my head down in shame. "It's alright, Dawn." Cassandra replied. "Now please come on over and meet Mr. Ketchum." Cassandra walked me through the crowd.

"We are Mr. Ketchum's new art dealers now and today he's here to exhibit some of his most famous paintings." Cassandra explained to me, using her usual over-the-top hand gestures. I nodded as she went on and on about Mr. Ketchum's career and how he got started.

**Ash's POV**

I stood there as the photographer was snapping pictures of my most recent painting "The Lone Willow" As I answered the questions of the interviewers as best as I could. "Good to see you Mr. Ketchum." Cassandra walked up to me with a beautiful blunette following behind her. "Good to see you, as well. Cassandra" I smiled shaking her hand. "I would like you meet my assistant, Dawn Berlitz." Cassandra stepped aside mentioning a dark blue haired woman with pale skin and dark blue eyes that matched her hair. "Nice, to meet you Ms. Berlitz." I smiled reaching out my hand. "Likewise, Mr. Ketchum." She smiled, shaking my hand.

"Well, I have to make sure some things are running smoothly. Dawn, how about you and Mr. Ketchum talk for awhile." Cassandra frowned looking down at her phone before walking away. Not waiting for Dawn to answer.

Both of us stared at each other awkwardly. "Umm…" I trailed trying to find a topic to talk about. "Umm…are you hungry?" I asked eyeing the buffet table. Dawn giggled at my attempt to start a conversation with her.

She shrugged and followed me over to the table. "So, Mr. Ketchum. Where are you from?" Dawn asked as we both grabbed a plastic plate. "Oh, please just call me Ash."

"Okay, Ash. Where are you from?" She reworded her question, picking up a spring roll. "I'm from Kanto." I answered before biting into a small sandwich. "How about you?" I asked swallowing. "Twinleaf Town." She answered simply, biting into the spring roll.

**Dawn's POV**

"It's a great turn out huh?" He points out some big time art collectors; media people, high tech tycoons, investment bankers and many other people. He than points to a blonde haired man a few yards away. Who was standing by a woman. They are discussing a painting.

"Barry and Salvia Jun," Ash whispered. "They're serious collectors. They live mostly in Kalos, but they own a house here in Hearthome. Barry is the CEO of the Arrowroot Corporation. Ever heard of it?"

I shake my head.

"It's one of the biggest companies in Kalos. They have offices in cities all over the world."

"Hmmm…interesting." I poured another cup of soda. "Barry wants to become a dedicated patron of the arts and his wife curates and museum in his Kalos office building."

"Looks like their big fans." I watched the couple exclaim over details in Ash's paintings. I usually see couples like them looking at paintings in awe that "show promise" and have "great ideas."

"Guess so," Ash agreed. "They are taking four of my paintings for a show at their museum next month."

"At their office in Hearthome? Cool."

"No, no. In Kalos."

After we finished talking an orange-haired woman comes over and snakes an arm around Ash. She fixes her cerulean blue eyes on me. "Hello," she says, then looks at Ash. "Who's your friend?"

Ash's neck turned red. "So, um, Misty, this is Cassandra's assistant, Dawn. Dawn this is my uh, girlfriend, Misty.

We both shook hands. "Nice to meet you," we greeted in unison. I was about to say something else until a couple walked up to me.

"Excuse, Miss." The man squinted to read at my name tag. "Miss Berlitz. Can I talk to you about the prices of that painting over there? He asked pointing to a painting in the far corner of the exhibit. "Of course, sir." I nodded.

"It was nice meeting both of you." I smiled at Ash and Misty before disappearing into the crowd.

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**That's it :) Chapter 2 will be coming up soon. Please tell me what you think and any new ideas for the new chapter will be appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ash's POV **

Misty and I watched as Dawn disappeared into the crowd, before she turned around and glared at me. "What?" I asked innocently. "You know what!" She snapped. I shrugged and turned towards the buffet table. "Ash Ketchum! Look at me!" Misty yelled as quietly as she could. "Misty, stop. You're gonna cause a scene." I muttered. "I don't care! Now tell me what's going on between you and that bi-"

I glared at her sharply before she could finish her sentence. "Don't you dare call Dawn that." I threatened. Before Misty could reply, Cassandra was striding towards us, this time with the Juns and we were caught in their curious stares.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you, Ash." says Salvia Jun, after Cassandra introduces me. "Excuse me, Ash." Cassandra spoke up, scanning the exhibit. "Yes?" I asked turning my attention to the middle-aged woman. "Have you seen my assistant?" Cassandra was turning her head around wildly, trying to spot the blunette.

"Right here Cassandra!" Dawn suddenly appeared. "Uh what are all of those files for?" The woman asked pointing at the files that Dawn was carrying. "Mr. and Mrs. Williams were asking for some prices on a couple of paintings."

"Oh yes, I almost forgot." Cassandra turned around to face Mr. and Mrs. Jun. "Salvia, Barry, meet my assistant. Dawn Berlitz." Dawn bowed "Nice to meet you."

"Yes, very nice to meet you as well." Barry says shaking her hand before shaking mines. "You did a very good job Ash. This is a wonderful show."

"Thanks. I'm so glad that you can make it. Considering everything that's going on." Salvia bites her lip. "We are happier here. I do not feel so safe in our home right now." She shudders. "Yes, but life must goes on." Barry nodded. "Our paintings may be stolen, but at least we are safe. We would not miss this show for the whole world." He sounded cheerful, but I noticed that his smile faltered.

**Dawn's POV**

"You had stolen art?" "What kind of art?" I couldn't help but ask. I love mysteries. "Dawn." Cassandra glanced at me sternly. "No, no. It's alright Ms. Karmin." Barry sighed. "It was a portfolio containing three van Gogh drawings." Salvia answers. "It was taken last Friday evening from our Hearthome house. Misty had just finished some restoration work on the drawings, and we were supposed to the Hearthome Art Museum the next day, for their new exhibit."

I didn't think regular people could own van Gogh's. Then again, I'm getting the impression that the Juns aren't exactly regular people.

"I understand that you are working with the FBI and Interpol. Any leads yet?" Cassandra asks. "A few perhaps." Barry frowns. "The investigation is still in an early stage." He turns to Ash. "Actually detectives will be contacting you, Misty and Cassandra, too. They must talk to anyone who knows about our collection. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"It's to be expected," Cassandra says. "They're just doing there jobs." I nodded in agreement. "Yes, I already got the call. I'm going there on Monday morning." Ash chimed in. I stood there and wait for Misty to say something, but she just stands there, sipping some soda.

Barry pats Ash on the shoulder. "Let's return to happier things. Ash, I heard that you are flying to-" And then Misty had a Category Five choking fit. She's crouching over as Ash puts a hand on her back. Everyone looks worried and in about thirty seconds the fit was over. I watched as Cassandra went to get Misty some water.

"_That fit seemed staged." _I thought as I watched the scene unfold. _"Was she trying to create distraction, to stop Barry from saying something? What didn't she want him to say?"_

**Ash's POV**

"So, Ash," Barry says when things have calmed down. "About that trip to Kalos. It seems like you have to go sooner."

I frowned "Oh? How much sooner are we talking about?"

"We will be leaving in one week's time. A week from today." I shook my head thinking _"Is this guy crazy?!"_

"I know this may seem sudden" Barry apologizes. "We try to suggest to the company that rushing on the project schedule will cause too much trouble. But the other employees _insist _that the project must be done quickly."

"But…but…starting in a week?" I spluttered. "I haven't been able to clear my schedule yet and we haven't even agreed on the design yet. I've barely been able to draw sketch yet. I don't want to do a rush job."

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Ash." Barry apologized once again. "Well, if it has to be, it has to be." I said feeling dazed. "We would be very happy to meet with you in our home, this weekend to talk through some of your concepts."

I nodded. "Yes, the weekend will do."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I won't be able to go to Kalos." Cassandra said sadly. "Why not?" Dawn asked surprised. "The gallery is getting repaired and I need to stay here to supervise."

"Oh, but I can handle that." Dawn answered. "No, no. I must handle this myself." Cassandra shook her head. "I'm sorry, Barry. I know that you and Salvia needed my help."

"That's alright Cassandra." Salvia smiled putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"Yes, it's fine. There's a simple solution." Barry said. "Dawn can come to Kalos instead."

I beamed brightly at the thought of Dawn joining me…uh…I mean us on the trip.

**Dawn's POV**

"Wow! Thank you!" I turned to Cassandra. "Please Cassandra?"

"Well since the gallery is going to close down for a few months…" Cassandra tapped a finger on her chin. "Sure why not." She shrugged. "Thank you!" I bowed slightly, trying to be professional but inside I wanted to jump up and down like a child and clap my hands in glee.

"I assume that you will need my assistance with this huge schedule change?" Misty asked the Juns. "Because I'll need to make re-arrangements with my other clients."

"Ah. To be honest…your services will not be required on this trip now." Salvia twists the strap of her purse and avoids looking at her. "What? Wait I don't understand." Misty looked confused. "We will discuss the details another time." Salvia answered trying to sound as sincere as possible.

Misty stomps off to the buffet table as she narrows her eyes at me before downing a cup of soda. _"I got a feeling that I just made it onto her kill list."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Ash's POV**

Following a hallway, I walked down and outside through the backdoor. I slowly put up my black umbrella and whipped out my Smartphone. "I understand, but I'm taking a trip to Kalos. For _business…_ Yes, I'll have to re-schedule everything now. Why? Well, they moved the trip up to next week…Alright thank you." I hanged up.

All of a sudden, I heard a noise coming from the dumpster. I whirled around, pointing my umbrella in different directions "Who's here?!" I shouted. "No need to worry, it's just me." Dawn walked out from behind the dumpster.

"Sorry." I blushed from embarrassment, retracting my umbrella. "What were you doing behind the dumpster?"

"I was just looking for some thrown out files." She answered walking back inside, shaking out her umbrella and puts it in the stand next to the door. "For the case?" I asked doing the same.

"Yes." She nodded. "Have you found anything?"

"Yes I did." She excitedly grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway. "Hey, hey Dawn. Slow down!" I winced as she pulled my arm. "Oh, sorry." She blushed, quickly releasing my hand. "Here we are." She took out a key and unlocked an office door.

"Is this your office?" I questioned as we both walk in. "Mhm." The blunette answered sitting down at her desk. Dawn's desk displays colorful binders, files, a laptop and other random office supplies. "Have a seat." She patted a leather chair right next to hers and placed a notepad, which I guess is what she found in the dumpster on her desk.

I joined her and looked at the damp notepad. "It's empty." I frowned. "Ahhh…but are you sure?" She takes out a piece of paper, lay it on top of the notepad and rubbed it with a pencil.

I watched as imprints of letters and numbers appeared in awe. Once she was finished, we both looked at the piece of paper, trying to decode the handwriting. "Pick up suit. Call Jessica. New exhibit meeting 6:30. 235554612."

"Most of these notes seem obvious." I pointed to the first three. "But, wait. We didn't have a new exhibit meeting at 6:30 today." Dawn thought out loud looking at a schedule on her desk. "And what is that string of numbers?"

"Perhaps it's a phone number?" I suggested. "Yes, that could be it." She tapped a finger on her chin. "Look. 235 is a Sunyshore area code." I reached over to her phone. "May I?"

"Sure." She shrugged. Feeling like a professional detective, I picked up the phone and dialed. "You have reached Sunyshore Realty. Please leave a message or call back later at regular business hours." I quickly hanged up.

"So?" Dawn asked. "It's a phone number for Sunyshore Realty."

"Why would this person want to call a realty for?"

"Beats me."

Silence began to fill the room as we both started thinking. "You know what?" Dawn suddenly spoke up. "What?" I snapped out of my thoughts. "Let's get back to the party." She stood up and placed the notepad in a drawer.

"Why?"

"I think it's useless, that we're trying to find the thief. It's the police and Interpol's jobs. Not ours."

"You're right. Let's get going." I nodded following her out of the room.

**Dawn's POV**

Late at night, Ash and I walked to his black sports car. I quickly hopped into the passenger's seat and closed the door. As Ash starts up the car and backed out of the parking lot. I saw a figure appeared, he shifted the gear to "park" and climbed out of the car. "I'll be right back." He said before closing the door. I sat waited as my eyes adjusted to the dark. A few moments later, I noticed that the figure was Misty. Ash and Misty they were only standing a few feet away from the car.

I looked at the couple, deep in conversation. I watched as Misty crumples, burying her head in her hands. While Ash puts his hands in his pockets and stares at the ground. _"Uh-oh big issues." _I thought, as I opened the window a crack so I can hear.

"We wouldn't be able to hang out in Kalos anyways." Ash is saying "Between the art show and my meetings. We wouldn't be able to have anytime to hang out."

"I don't care. I have unused vacation days, I'll pay my own way."

"How are you going to afford the trip?"

Misty lifts her chin. "I'm getting a little cash wind-fall soon. I'll put the trip on my credit cards and pay it off when the money come through."

My skin started tingling. A _cash wind-fall_? I quickly shook out my thoughts and paid attention to the conversation once again.

"Misty, it's just not a good time to-"

"Stop pushing me away!" The orange-haired woman explodes. "When are you going to let me into your life? If I don't go on this trip, it'll damaged our relationship."

"How will it damage our relationship?" Ash answered, I sensed that he's ready to explode too.

"You will be spending time with that stupid assistant! I saw the way that you looked at her! How you were smiling when you heard that she's going to Kalos in Cassandra's place!"

"There is nothing going on between me and Dawn!" Ash finally exploded. "It's not my fault that I'm going to Kalos, so don't pin that on me!"

My jaw dropped as I heard what Misty said. "What, you think it's my fault I'm not going? You know it's crazy they're even suspecting me in the first place, don't you?"

Ash hesitates and nodded.. "Of course it is." Misty says angrily. "Think about it. Barry discovers that portfolio in his office archives and I told him to keep quiet about it, at least until he got the pictures insured. But he made this big deal of loaning the art to that museum. All those interviews, I mean _Sinnoh Now_? Come on!"

"They said that it would be good press for their company." The ebony haired artist answered.

"So what happened? The news of his little precious pictures gets all over the internet. I even told him to update his security system. Did he? NO! Now they point a finger at me."

"It's not fair," Ash agreed. "But you're going to look suspicious if you go to Kalos."

"Yeah. You're always so innocent, aren't you?" Must be really nice. Listen, I'd start looking for a lawyer if I were you. Don't just think that you're off the hook."

"What do you mean?"

"The detectives are going to look at anyone who knows the Juns and their collections."

"Listen, Misty. It's late I've got to go and re-schedule some things." Ash started to walk away.

"Fine! Just walk away! You'll be sorry!" Misty shouts. "I'm the best thing that ever happened to you, and you know it! That blue haired woman would never put up with all of your shit!"

I rolled up the windows and sighed. "What did I just listen too?" I asked myself as I buried my head into my hands..

**Ash's POV  
**

I slid into the driver's seat of my car, slammed the door and start the car. "Sorry about that." I apologized. "It's alright." Dawn smiled weakly looking out the window. We drive by two men, pausing at a stoplight right by them. The light turns green, and I drive on. My grip on the steering wheel tightened. It really scares me that I'm going to be questioned on Monday about those stolen paintings. I catch my breath.

"So, uh, Misty was supposed to go to Kalos?" Dawn ask, trying to start up a conversation. "Yeah, for professional reasons. She's an art conservator."

"So does she work at SAM?"

"No. She works at a small firm in Hoenn. The Juns hired her to oversee the transportation of their paintings."

"And she's a suspect because she worked with the Jun's collection?"

"She worked in their home. She had direct access to the stolen art." I sigh.

A few moments later, we arrived at Dawn's house. "Thank you, for driving me home." She unbuckled her seat belt and gathered her purse. "No problem."

I watched as she climbed out of my car, closed the door and walked to her front porch. Once she entered her home, I waved good-bye once again before driving off.

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**That's the end of this chapter! Are you guys liking it so far? Any problems or complaints? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for not updating for a long time. I could probably write a whole story on why I didn't update sooner but whatever. Let's get on with the story!**

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**Dawn's POV**

It was around midnight, I was really restless thinking about the mystery. So I decided to turn on my laptop and do some research on the Juns and the missing van Gogh's. I read articles about them and watched TV interviews of Barry. I was scrolling through the results of my search and clicked on an article.

It was in February and Barry sifts through a box in his Kalos office. He finds the portfolio of drawings mixed in with a bunch of old blueprints. Barry than had the drawings examined by a top art expert and van Gogh scholars. "Congratulations," the experts told him "Though unsigned, these are authentic van Gogh drawings, in good condition, worth two million dollars."

Barry later appears on _Sinnoh Now. _"My father, Palmer bought these drawings with a corresponding painting from a small art dealer in Unova, in June 1987." A skeptical Rhonda asks, "Are you saying that you had van Goghs in your Kalos office for _decades_? In a box of old blueprints?"

Barry replies: "We didn't know they were van Gogh's until a few months ago. Back in 1987, experts told my dad that the unsigned drawings were old imitations of van Gogh. Palmer then put them storage-but never told me where-and when I found them I immediately had them reexamined."

Rhonda then asks "And then there's a painting that goes with these studies? If it's a van Gogh too, and in reasonable condition, it must be worth millions more."

"Yes. My dad told me he had put the painting somewhere separate from the drawings, for safekeeping. I never had the chance to learn where. My dad died two weeks after returning from Unova."

I also read an article that came out a few months ago before all of this van Gogh business, about how the Jun Corporation is in a ton of debt. And financial troubles aren't the only thing that's happening since February of this year. There have been accidents. I took out a piece of paper and listed them.

_**1) Scaffolding collapsed on three building sites**_

_**2) Equipment exploded **_

_**3) An excavator on an office construction site went into reverse and plunged into a ravine with the driver almost dying.**_

_**4)Last month, a bridge the company was building collapsed, killing two workers and injuring dozens more. **_

I stare at my screen, images and words swirl together but none of them make sense. Palmer hid a painting that wasn't known to be valuable. He separated the drawings from the painting. He didn't tell anyone where the art was, not even his own son and then he died just two weeks from buying the painting. Why?

**Ash's POV**

Sunday morning, I drove my car down a steep private drive way. The Jun's house is flat and low, tucked into the hillside with a wide deck facing the lake. Deep blue tiles shimmered on the roof. The yard was filled with pruned shrubs, red maples, winding white-stone pathways. A fountain bubbles up from a pond, where orange koi fish glide among lily pads.

Kenji greets me at the door. I quickly exchanged my shoes for beautiful silk slippers. I then follow Barry into a living room. One whole wall is windows, displaying the blue lake. I looked to the couch and saw Dawn sitting there, looking at some paintings. Saliva greets me warmly and excuses herself to fix some tea.

I sit on a long, white leather couch near Dawn. I looked at Dawn as she picked up an old black and white picture of two boys. "Yeah, so tomorrow is my summonsing." I said to Barry. I noticed as Dawn clutched the picture frame as I said that. _"Why is she so worried?"_

"Yes. I feel horrible, Ash, putting you through all of this. It is but a requirement. You know Salvia and I have no suspicions about you. Besides, you are an artist. Artists are not art thieves, the idea of it is crazy."

"Have the detectives talked to anyone else yet?" Dawn suddenly spoke up, putting down the picture frame.

Barry looked at her surprised, "Why, yes. They have already spoken to Cassandra and she has been cleared."

"And Misty?" I asked.

"Yes and she's considered a person of interest."

I frowned "She didn't do it."

"This is a sensitive matter. I shouldn't have said anything." Barry apologized

"No, no I want to know. What did they say to her?"

"Apparently, there was an incident, three years ago. Misty was questioned about missing art. She was rehousing a client's collection. A Matisse sketch vanished. It was never recovered."

I chewed my lip. "And now they think she's taken the van Goghs? Barry, it was just a coincidence. Misty would never do anything like that."

Barry smiles understandingly. "I am sorry. I am aware it must be difficult to hear such things about your fiancée."

**Dawn's POV**

"What-what did you say?" Ash asks, echoing my own thought, _"Fiancée?"_

"Misty told me your news , last Monday."

"But I'm not-we're not-I never-oh, shoot." Ash really looks unhappy now "Look Misty and I decided to break up after my art show on Thursday. And we weren't engaged."

"Oh. So the ring-it wasn't from you?" Barry asks looking really confused.

"Ring? What ring?" Ash replied.

"Matcha!" Salvia sings as she comes in with a white and gold tea tray.

We all sat there, sipping dark green matcha tea served in elegant cups. The tea smells both fresh and earthy. Ash and Barry began to talk about their project and Salvia asks me about my job. After tea, Salvia takes me downstairs to see their print collection.

I was in awe once I saw their basement. "It looks just like a museum achieves." I spun around taking in the view. The ceiling had hanging lights with a climate control switch on the wall. Two huge wooden tables take up the center of the room. Flat-draw cabinets line the walls. Horizontal windows, high up by the ceilings, are covered with screens to filter out daylight. As well as a boarded up window.

"That's where the thief entered and escaped from." Salvia says, following my gaze. "The thief must be pretty skin." I observed. The windows are less than two feet tall. I step closer to the wall, observing two black marks halfway up.

"Those marks are from hard-soled shoes." Salvia explains. I stepped back a bit and looked at the window. The sill doesn't have a big ledge. "You would need a lot of upper-arm strength to hang on. Did an alarm go off?"

"Yes. The police responded to it, but when they arrived the thief was already gone."

"Any witnesses?"

She shakes her head, "Our neighbors did not see or hear a thing. I regret that we lined our garden path ways with those white stones. No footprints were left behind."

"What the thief use to break the glass?"

"A large rock from our garden out back."

"Very interesting." I tapped a finger on my chin. "Forgive me. I do not wish to frighten you with these details." Salvia apologizes. "Let me show you the prints."


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Don't worry I'm not dead, just very busy :P **

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**Dawn's POV**

I watched as Salvia removes a stack of portfolios from one of the file cabinets. "We have acquired a great number of prints from estate sales and print fairs." She says, slipping on a pair of white gloves. "We will transport some of these prints to Kalos for our new exhibit next month."

"Wow. Ash's paintings are going to be shown in the same room as these? "

"Yes."

"Do you have the Hiroshige print that van Gogh studied?"

"We do. Though ours is only in fair condition."

"I would love to see it."

"Of course." Salvia goes to file cabinet, turns a combination lock, opens it and pulls out a draw. She then carried the portfolio to the table and opens it, revealing the most amazing print I've ever seen.

While I'm gaping at the print, Salvia opens a cardboard tube and gently shakes out three large, rolled-up tubes . "And these are high-quality photocopies of van Gogh's drawings. We had all three copied for insurance proposes. Sadly, these are all we have now."

At first, the drawings look less lively, compared to the Hiroshige print. They were rough sketches in brown ink on yellow paper. But as I stared at them, they come to life. The style is similar to Hiroshige's, yet the pictures were also distinctly van Gogh's. The lines were heavier and he exaggerated certain details from the Hiroshige print. And all three show elements of Hiroshige's print from different angles.

"That's amazing." I said "They're copies-but they're not."

"That is right," Salvia says "It's not plagiarism. It's inspiration. Van Gogh made Hiroshige's image his own. And he drew these to prepare for a painting."

"Hey, isn't' it weird that the thief didn't take the Hiroshige print ,too? "

"The print is rare but not one of a kind. Multiple copies were made at a time. So I suppose he could find another Hiroshige print no problem."

I scan the room, taking in all of the boxes, portfolios and file cabinets. "Are you sure that the thief only took the van Gogh drawings?"

"Quite sure. We've inventoried everything. He could have helped himself to any number of valuable works here. But it's as if he had a need for only the van Gogh drawings."

So the thief had to be strong enough to hurl a big rock. Small enough to fit through the window, Fearless enough to drop to the floor. Knowledgeable enough about the Jun's collection to go straight for the van Gogh's . Strong enough to pull him or herself up the windowsill and outside again. Fast enough to run away while the alarms wailed and smart enough to make a clean getaway.

The face that come's to mind is Misty's. She's been associated with a client's missing art. She talked about a cash windfall. She knows the Jun's collection. She also strong and agile enough to have pulled off this heist…

**Ash's POV **

After breakfast the next morning I got ready for my interrogation. I feel powerless. After the questioning I felt exhausted, it went fairly quickly and mostly involved questions about Misty. The moment I came home, I locked myself up in my studio and started working on my project for Barry.

A few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. "Who is it?" I asked. "

Mr. Ketchum, I'm Kevin from Cassandra's Art Gallery."

"Yes?" I opened the door just a crack and peeked out. "I'm here to pick up some of your art work for the Kalos Show."

"Why, yes yes of course." I opened the door wider and welcomed him into my studio. "Some of my work for the show is over there in that box." I pointed to a cardboard box sitting in the corner of the room.

We started flipping through a stack of canvases, when someone else entered the room. "Kevin? What are you doing here?" A feminine voice asked.

"Miss Berlitz?!" John shouted in surprise almost dropping the canvas he was holding.

"I thought that I was supposed to pick up Mr. Ketchum's work for the show."

"Ms. Karmin thought that you were busy, so she said that I should pick them up instead." Kevin answered.

Dawn nodded and picked up four unframed paintings onto the table. "Kevin?"

"Yes Miss Berlitz?"

"Get these paintings crated and load up the van."

"Yes Miss. Berlitz." he nodded.

After everything was finished, Dawn talked to the van's driver while Kevin and I walked back up to the studio.

We started cleaning up and Kevin notices a portfolio that Misty brought over the day before. "Did Misty finish re-matting these prints for the Jun's?"

"I haven't looked at them yet, but yeah, I'd assume they're all set."

"Oh really? I wouldn't assume anything about that woman," Kevin muttered

"What is it with everyone suspecting her?"

"What's with you defending her honor?" Kevin snaps

"It doesn't exactly make you look good, being associated with her. It doesn't make Cassandra or Dawn look good, either. Everything you do casts a shadow on them. We had detectives taking pictures outside the gallery today."

"Look. Can't we put this whole Misty thing behind us?"

We both started circling the table, glaring at each other.

"What you did Ash was unacceptable. Just because your some hotshot artist, you think you can swoop in and steal any woman."

"What are you talking about?! I didn't 'steal' your woman!"

"That is a LIE! You did steal her from me!"

"Misty said that you guys were never going out. That was all in your head."

"She was my girlfriend." He takes a swing at me.

We started circling the table faster now, our eyes locking.

"You make her sound like some stupid woman," I snarls. "She has a mind of her own. She obviously choose the better man."

Kevin swipes at me again. This time his punch landed right on my nose.

I recoiled, holding my hand to my face and moaned. I started to swing back at him.

He shoved me into the file cabinet and I pushed him back. He falls onto a stack of blank canvases. Jars of paint fell off a shelf and splattered Kevin's clothes.

**Dawn's POV**

I was walking back up to studio when I heard the sound of yelling and screaming. A few moments later I heard the sound of glass shattering.

I ran towards the studio and stopped short when I saw Kevin lunging at Ash, clutching a paintbrush in his fist.

"STOP!" I scream, shoving a tabouret of art supplies towards Kevin.

Kevin trips and falls on top of the tabouret. It slides all the way across the studio floor, carrying him until he crashes against a wall.

I quickly ran over to Ash and helped him up. "Ash are you okay?"

Ash was breathing heavily, "Yeah I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked examining his nose.

"Ouch!" He winced as I touched it. I helped him stand up "Don't worry, it's not broken, the swelling will go down in a few days."

I helped him walk towards the door, "Kevin, please leave." I said before leaving the studio with Ash. "Let's get some ice for that nose."

We both walked down to the kitchen and Ash sits down at the table. I walked over to the freezer and grabbed an ice pack.

"Thanks." Ash grabbed the ice pack and puts it on his nose. "Ugh. I should've ducked. I haven't been in a fist fight since eight grade."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for not updating this story for a long time, hehehe. I'm sure you have forgotten it by now but here's the new chapter. I'm currently gonna be working on updating Married for a Week and In Another Life. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, maybe reread the story if you forgot what happened and I'll see you in the chapter/story**

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I sighed, sitting down across from Ash. I started to zone out, my mind lost in thought. Kevin definitely just launched to the top of my suspect list. He's stronger than he looks and he has so many motives. He wants to be an art dealer but Cassandra never trusted him, he holds a grudge against Misty. Maybe he stole the art to make a name for himself? Or to make money for himself so he could do his own thing? And maybe he made it to look like Misty did it. To get back at her.

According to the delivery man, Kevin signed a package on the evening of the crime and there was security camera footage that proved that he was at the gallery. But are those things enough proof?

My mind wandered to Ash and I looked up at him sitting across from me, a small ice pack laying across his nose which is now swollen and ugly.

"Hey, you wanna go eat some sushi?" He asked, breaking the silence. I smiled feeling my mood lift a little. "Yes, I'd love some sushi. I know a great restaurant nearby.

"Okay, great." He nodded standing up. "But your nose. Are you okay?"

"It's better now." He said grabbing his car keys from the table and we headed out together. At the bottom of the steps, I realized that I left my purse in his studio. "I left my purse upstairs, I'll be right back."

"Okay, dear." Ash blurted out, before blushing. I felt my cheeks heating up as well and quickly turning away from him and rushing into his house. "He called me dear." I smiled biting my lip softly.

I reached the studio and it still showed signs of the fight, a sea of papers were scattered on the floor, a puddle of spilled paints...I grabbed my purse and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small brown portfolio.

What if they hold the van gogh sketches? I slowly walked over to the table it was on. I picked it up and started flipping through it. Drawings. They were beautiful sketches of Misty.

In one, she's in a canoe trailing her hands in the water and staring into the distance. In another, she was picking flowers, In the next one, she was sitting on a porch swing holding a cup in her hands. In all these pictures she looked really happy.

As I put the portfolio down, a small picture fell out. It was a picture of her and Ash standing in front of a Christmas tree, gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. There's way more to their love story than it seems to be. Ash looks really happy.

I closed my eyes and imagined me and him in the picture instead. I didn't know how long time had pass but I soon felt a hand gripped my shoulder.

"Dawn. Are you okay?" Ash asked, his brown eyes showing concern. "You've been up here for awhile."

"Yeah, I'm good." I slid the picture underneath the portfolio and grabbed my purse. "Let's get going."

"Change of plans we're going to the hospital." Ash sighed, his voice cracking. "Kevin's been attacked."

**Ash's POV**

"What? When? Who attacked him?" Dawn asked. ""Cassandra called. A couple guys jumped him. Messed him up pretty badly too. Lacerations. Concussion. And my paintings…

Dawn gasped "No..."

"Slashed" I grimaced.

"Oh my arceus." Dawn sighed and shook her head sadly. "All those paintings...gone to waste.

"Cassandra's on her way to the hospital right now, we should we get going."

Once we arrived at the hospital, we rushed down cold, white hallways and find Kevin's room. Cassandra is pacing outside the door. She throws her arms around us was we walked in. "Dawn! Ash! The nurse is checking his vitals, but then we should be able to go in and see Kevin-oh, what happened to you?"

I suddenly remembered my swollen nose and bruised face. "It's a long story." I winced, touching my nose.

"Cassandra. I have some important information that I want to tell you." Dawn suddenly spoke up, pulling a rather large file from her purse. "Turns out that there's a connection between what happened to Kevin, the Juns case and some other things going on."

My eyes involuntarily widened as she said that and so did Cassandra. She told us everything as best as she could and once she finished, I exploded.

"Arceus, Dawn! Why did you keep this to yourself? The police have been looking for those guys!"

"I wanted to tell you guys but all of us are really really busy so I didn't have the time to!"

"Alright you two, enough!" Cassandra interrupted before I could respond.

"Excuse me, Kevin is ready to be visited." The nurse ushered us into a room, "He's a little bit groggy from all the medicine but he can still talk."

With his two black eyes, cut lip, scratched face and broken arm, Kevin looked like a wreck. Cassandra looked at him and patted his head "You poor thing. How are you feeling?"

"Better." He coughed with a raspy voice. "What happened?" I asked standing near him.

"After I left your house, I went to run a few errands and then drove to the gallery. I got out of my car and two guys jumped me. One guy pulled out a knife. They shouted at me 'Where is it?' I didn't know what they were talking about. The other man searched through my van and slashed the paintings. Then they both started screaming and me and threw some punches, kicked me around and I passed out."

Everyone stood there in silence waiting for him to go on.

""When I came to, the police was there, EMTs and I was being loaded onto a stretcher. Guess someone found me and called them. I passed out again and ended up here." He sighed and looked down at his broken arm.

"I'm sorry about the paintings, Ash." He muttered.

We all stood there and talked for awhile as Dawn explained what she knew.

"But Team Rocket is in Kanto, not Sinnoh" Cassandra says. "Not true" Kevin croaked "Team Rocket has penetrated the art world internationally."

Cassandra tapped her manicured nails on the bed frame "Maybe they are after your paintings, Ash. But why would they destroy them? Now they have no value."

"Maybe to send some kind of message?" Dawn offered.

I frowned, "Could these men have mistaken Kevin for somebody else? Doing something else?"

We all looked at Kevin as his eyelids fluttered, then close. I watched the rise and fall of his chest. He looks peaceful now, like an innocent victim. But I'm starting to get a feeling that he's not as innocent as he looks.

**Dawn's POV**

"Hey, Ash can you drive me home?" I asked as we leave the hospital.

He nodded and walked towards the parking lot. I rushed to keep up with him, my heels clicking on the pavement. "Are you mad at me?"

He stopped, looked at the ground and sighed. "No, Dawn I'm not mad at you."

"Then why are you avoiding me right now?" I pursed my lips and clutched my purse as I waited for a reply.

"I..I was just worried about you."

"Worried?" I cocked my head to the side curiously, my eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah...all this research that you've been doing could seriously get you in trouble with these Team Rocket fellows. After seeing how Kevin turned out, I didn't want that to happen to you." He explained.

I smiled and stepped closer to him "Don't worry about me, I can protect myself. I'm perfectly fine, but if anything does happen I have a nice strong man to protect me."

Ash smiled and caressed my cheeks, pulling me closer to him. I cupped my hands around his cheeks and we kissed, pouring all the love that we've felt for each other ever since we met.

We parted for air a few moments later, our foreheads still touching savoring the moment. "I swear I won't let anything happen to you."

"I love you Ash Ketchum."

"I love you too Dawn Berlitz."

We kissed and continued walking towards the car, hand in hand.

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